Which electronic document flow system should you choose?

The best electronic document workflow system is the one that provides the best return on investment. Assuming we want a system with the highest ROI, we should carefully consider where to actually look for a return on investment in a document workflow system.

When choosing a system for building electronic document workflows, it's important to always keep your organization's future needs in mind. Therefore, it's important to choose a modern solution that allows for quick and precise modeling of document workflow processes. Furthermore, the more modern the solution you choose, the longer you'll be able to use it, with relatively low development costs. To choose the right solution, it's worth answering a few questions:

Do you like the vendor's implementation team?

It's crucial that the implementation team has knowledge of both the workflow system and the organization's operations. This will help avoid often costly problems and ensure smooth project implementation. Communication with those responsible for designing process management and implementing them on the platform is equally important. The better this communication, the easier and less costly it will be to launch a document workflow system.

Example

For one of our clients, we simultaneously implemented several workflows, including employee applications for Employee Benefits Fund benefits, processing and approving purchase invoices, correspondence management with a document repository, and registering and approving purchase requests. With such intensive project work for departments with varying needs, seamless communication between the business parties and the implementation team proved crucial. Thanks to efficient exchange of information regarding the modeled processes, subsequent tasks were completed smoothly and on schedule. As a result, the implementation team completed the project on time, providing the client with tools tailored to the specific processes implemented in the organization's departments.

What does the system's user interface look like?

An electronic document flow system should be easy for users to use. Therefore, it's worth checking whether your employees like it and can easily navigate it. It's crucial that all supported processes share common interface elements. This will make it easier for your employees to learn how to use any new processes implemented in the future.

However, a user-friendly and intuitive interface isn't everything. It often happens that it must be individually customized for certain processes. Therefore, the ability to rearrange its elements depending on the process and communication channel is crucial.

Example

The nAxiom low-code platform offers a wide range of interfaces, allowing you to design and implement individually tailored electronic document workflows. If the existing interfaces prove insufficient, new ones can be easily defined. This is achieved by creating dedicated components and packages, which are added as additional elements that extend the nAxiom platform's capabilities.

How extensive are the configuration options?

The more configurable the system, the better for the organization. Processes in the system can then be reflected in full detail, encompassing all potential paths and variants. This allows for even faster processing.

Support for at least basic standards will certainly be necessary, including compatibility with popular products on the market (e.g., MS Office). However, a process digitization platform should also enable integration and data exchange with other IT systems. This will allow all processes implemented within the organization to be interconnected. This will ensure their smooth operation and, additionally, provide more complete control over all parameters.

The ability to prototype is also very useful. The sooner you see the system model, the better you will refine it and the sooner you will be able to verify its effectiveness. Already at this stage, you will learn which elements were not included in the process or which of the adopted solutions will not work in practice. This will help avoid many problems and costs associated with necessary, extensive modifications to processes launched in an environment without a prototyping phase.

Example

With the nAxiom platform, prototyping changes can even occur while the application is in use, without any disruption to the ongoing process. Once the modifications are approved, the updated version of the solution is immediately made available to users.

Is it possible to monitor process efficiency?

Monitoring the parameters of individual processes is crucial when operating an electronic document flow system or managing processes and applications in general. It allows for identifying trends and rationally managing resources. This applies to both monitoring the technical parameters of the platform on which process management is embedded and parameters related to the execution of individual processes. The former provides an overview of the technical condition and performance of IT tools, while the latter provides basic information for the company, illustrating its operation.

When choosing a document flow system, it's worth paying special attention to its monitoring capabilities. Such a system should allow for appropriate and flexible control configuration depending on the unit and the person responsible for the task. This will save employees significant time spent preparing various ad hoc reports.


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